Differential valve for pneumatically-controlled musical instruments.



PATENIED MAY 26, 1908.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. APPLICATION FILED JULY 18.1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

PATEEZJTED MAY 26, 1908.

P. WELIN. NTIAL VALVE FOR PNEUMATIGALLY CONTROLLED DIET-ERIE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 12.1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

BETER WELIN, OF WORGESTER,

MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO ALBERT KRELL, OF NEW- CASTLE, INDIANA.

- DIFFERENTIALVALVE non rnEmgA'rIcaLLY-oomnoLLnn MUSICAL msrnmunn'rs.

"Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 26, 1908.

Originalapplicatidn fied flay 24, ISM, Serial Ne. acacia Divided and thiaapplieation filed July 18, '1907.

' Serial No. 384,361. I

- (iilxlDifiEerential Valve for Pneumatically-Consilent filedMay 251,. 1904, Serial No. 209,449.

Feller-l Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification. Q application: is a division of my prior application for arr-automatic musical instru invention relates toia valve for use -vsucha musical instrument as that set torth in the above identified application, or other terms of pneumatical y controlled :mu sical: instruments, such as automatic 15181108,; piano players; and the like.

The principal objects of the invention are to providezimeans whereby a valve which normally connectsia pass e or chamber with theghu'ctwn and isintende to disconnect the passage therefrom and connect it with the atmosphere will complete the former func- .tionfirst so that there will be no leakage he tween the suction chamber and the atmosphere. For this purpose-the valve is made cfadiiferentialcharacter, so that the suction passage can be" first closed and the air pa sagc o enedthereafter.

W e the invention 1s shown as applied to a form ofi differential valve designed to be ,operate'diby hand, and some of the claims are limited thereto, it is to be understood that the broader claims. cover the device indeend'ently oh .the manner in which it is operated'.

' Bahfererrce is to had to the accompanying drawings'whichl show a'preferred form of the invention, andin which 1 isa. sectional View showing the parts'iini such position. as to permit communicationflbetween the suction chamber 'l'md the sage, Fig. 2 is a similar view .commumcationcut ofl. Fig. 3

is iaisimilar View showing the passage con- *nected with the outer air. Fig. 3 is a sectio nal detail view at-right-angles to Fig. 3, aiidl ig. 4 is a vertical sectionalview of sufficient parts ofa playing attachment for .music alinstruments to illustrate the application of this invention thereto.

The invention is illustrated as ap liedto an automatic musical instrument payer in which the operative parts are mounted in a casing or housing 0.

In the bottom part of the casin C are the usual bellows B- which are worke from the treadles P preferably for producing a low air tension. I The bellows B are connected by the usual passages (not shown) to exhaust the air from a'vertical WlDd-rlll'llllk 10.

Mounted on the face of the vertical wind at the bottom unit, by'a rod 16 to supplement the service pneumatic 12.

In addition to a service pneumatic 12 and I an accenting or supplemental pneumatic 13 each one of the detachable elements contains the pneumatics and valves for controllin the striking neumatics, and included in eae set of operatingconnections is a primary valve 18 which is operated by a primary pneumatic to admit atmospheric pressure to a pneumatic which operates a valve 19 controlling the strikingor service neumatic 1 2.

Mounted on top of t e casing is the usual tracker-board T cooperating with the usual aperwinging rolls, and extending down rem the tracker-board are the service pipes 17. Each service pipe 17 is connected to operate a primary pneumatic to raise a valve 18, admitting air pressure tothe operating pneumatic which raises the valve 19 to connect the service pneumatic 12 withthe suction.

The 0 erative connections so far referred to are su stantially the same as employe d in the ordinary instruments of this class, and it will also be seen that in the specific construction herein illustrated I have followed the same general plan as shown in my prior United States Letters Patent No. 727,725 granted to me May 12, 1903. That is to say, the ordinar operating connections for each note are al located in an element or structure which is detac'hably secured in place so that the same may be removed without 0! herwise dismantling the construction. In addition to these ordinary operating connections each unit of an action is shownas comprising a switch valve 21 which is operated by a primary pneumatic to open the connection between the passage controlled by the primary valve 18 and a passage which leads to an operating pneumatic controlling the valve 22 which connects'the accenting or supplemental pneumatic 13 to the atmosphere or to the suction.

The primar pneumatic which operates the switch va ve 21 has pressure admitted thereto through apipe 20 which may be controlled from the tracker-bar or from nfanually operated valves as hereinafter ex plained. By means of this construction when the switch valve 21 is in its normal position the operation of the primary valve 18 may cause the operation of the service pneumatic 12 without affecting the accenting or supplemental pneumatic 13. 7 When it hapens, however, that the switch valve 21 is in its raised position the operation of the pri mary'v'alve 18 will cause both of the striking Pneumatics to operate. That is to say, the switch valve 21 acts simply as an intermediate controller, and the accenting or supplemental pneumatic is not brought into use, except when the primary valve 18 is opened. I regard this as a point of advantage, as it secures absolute simultaneous action, and also for the reason that the switch valve 21 does not provide a direct outlet to the atmos phere, the only outlet to the atmosphere of the operative connections being controlled by the primary valve 18. This important, because in the'use of automatic playing attachments for musical instruments the greatest loss of air arises from the imperfect seating of the primary valves, and for the reason that when a primary valve is shifted, but has not completed its travel, there is a momentary direct connection between the atmos phere and the vacuum chamber or windtrunk.

The above description is given to show how this invention may be applied in practice but it is not claimed herein, as it forms part of my above identified application.

The present invention maybe applied to instruments or instrument players in which the action is controlled from the tracker bar or from manually manipulated push buttons or keys. The former construction requires a specially perforated. music sheet, and the invention is illustrated with I articular refer ence to" the bther manner or controlling the device.

Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings illustrate a preferred form in which a number of the controlling pipes 20 are connected to be operated simultaneously. That is to say, a single manually operated push button or key may be made to control the accenting devices in a group of notes, three in number in the present case, and this can be done without confusing the playing, as three successive notes in a musical com osition are never sounded in a perfect chor( Each .of these groups of con- 41 is immediately closed, and thereafter the out interfering with the position of the vs trolling or accenting pi cs 20 is shown as connected with a cham er or passage 37.

Mounted in this chamber is a valve stem 38 which is normally lifted by a s ring 39. Fastcned on the valve stem 38 is a )utton 40 which carries a valve 41. Supported on the valve stem by a spring 42 is a normally closed valve 43, and on the upper end of the valve stem 38 is a finger piece or button having splines or channels in its sides.

When the parts are in normal. position as illustrated in Fig. 1, the chamber or passage 37 C01 inunicates with a trunk or vacuum chamber 45. When the linger piece is first depressed, as illustrated in 2, the valve valve 43 is opened to admit atmosph pressure to the chamber 37 and the accen .ng pipes 20, three of such accenting pipes being shown in the present case as controlled from a single push button or finger piece. 1 con-- sider this a desirable construction, because it enables me to shut oil connection with the wind-chest before atmospheric pressure is admitted to the chamber 37, and for this reason. a direct connection between the wind-chest and the atmosphere cannot be opened even when the finger hey is left in. an intermediate position.

The operation of the valves will. be dily understood.v Referring firs to Fig. 1, it will be seen that the valve 43 on its seat protecting the chamber 3'7 from the admission of air. The spring 3*.) acts to hold the parts in this position. When pressure is first applied to the finger button, the first action positively forces down the valve 41 on its seat as shown in Fig. No action of the valve 43 takes place dini this motion of the linger button, because tr .e latter is capable of moving longitudinally with respect to the valve, but 11 the further downward motion of the ting r button, its bottom directly engages the top of the'valve, and forces it away from its seat, as shown in Fig. 3' with- The air is then admitted to the ch 37 through. the channels 59 in. the aid (11. Lil finger button. When the accenting oils are controlled by the finger keys 'or push b1. tons it is i .zlJlQ that the mu. '.csl.:eet sho 1 have the pio'er characters printed thereon. to indicate w 'ch ones of the push buttons should be operated. To ccoinplish this the push buttons are prefer hly numbered ccn se iitively, and on the music sheet characters are printed si nifyin push buttons ould e operated, For example, when the push button No. 1 should be operated, the characters No. l are printed immediately in front of the accented note. In a similar way, different numbers, for ex ample, No. 2 and N o. 4, may also be printed to indicate the pro er button.

l l hile I have il ustrated and descrihei'i which ones of the tion of a chamber having two ports, a valve stem, resilient means for forcing said valve stem in a certain direction, a valve fixedly mounted on said valve stem for closing one of said ports, a valve slidably mounted on the valve stem for closing the other port, and a spring for forcing the second valve away from the first.

2. In a music playing device, the combination of a chamber having two ports, a valve stem, resilient means for forcing said valve stem in a certain direction, a valve fixedly mounted on said valve stem for closing one of said ports, a valve slidably mounted on the valve stem for closing-the other port, a spring for forcing the second valve away from the first, and a push button on the stem above the slidably mounted valve.

25. The combination with a chamber having ports, a valve stem, two valves on said stem both located in said chamber between the ports, one of said valves being fixed to the stem and the other slidable thereon, a spring for movin the valve stem in such dimotion as to ten to move the slidablc valve toward its port, and a spring located between a said valves.

4L The combination with a chamber havreierrei; term oi the invention, I am aware valve stem, a spring for forcing said valve stem upwardly, two valves on said stem, the

.lower one being fixed thereto, and the upper one slidable thereon, a spring between said valves for movii'lg the slidable valve, and a push button mounted on the top of the stern and having channels in its Wal s for admitting air through the port in which it is located, said first named spring being adapted to force the valve stem to sufiicient height to remove the fixed valve from its port and lift the push bu tton out of contact withthe sliding valve.

5. A valve box having a chamber, a suction chamber, a port of smaller-cross-section. than the chamber and connecting it with the suction chamber, an opening from the chamber to the open air, valves for said opening and port, and means for operating the valves when the valve for the opening is closed, for first closing the valve for the port and then opening the valve for the opening.

6. In a valve, the combination. of a valve stem, means for operating said stem, a valve member rigidly mounted on the stem, a second valve member loosely mounted on the stem, and a spring located between said members.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, in the presenceof two subscribing witnesses.

PETER WELIN. Witnesses:

C. FORREST Wesson, ALBERT E. FAY. 

